Atlantic Canada – Moncton specifically – will be thrown into the centre of the soccer world this June, when the FIFA Women’s World Cup will be played on Canadian soil for the first time ever.

While Atlantic Canada’s connection to world-class soccer may never be stronger than it will during the event, the region has one bond that will last after the final World Cup match is played – Daniel Worthington.

Worthington moved to Halifax from Rotherham, England in 1999, where he attended Saint Mary's University, but it’s the years that followed where he truly made an impact in the community.

Working in various coaching roles for Halifax City Soccer Club and the National Training Centre, Worthington moved up, first to the role of Atlantic Director at the NTC, and then to Soccer Nova Scotia’s High Performance director, before acquiring his current roles – as U-23 EXCEL Program Director and Women's National Team Assistant Coach with Soccer Canada – in late 2013.

“I think it’s a massive honour for me,” said Worthington. “Soccer has basically given me everything I have – connections to my wife and my family – and the route that I've taken in the last 14 years… coaching at the club level, to the National Training Centre, and then for John [National team head coach, John Herdsman] to take a chance to provide me with the opportunity... I really cherish it.”

“We’re gearing towards the World Cup, that is the biggest event in women’s sport in the world... and it’s going to happen here in Canada, and it will likely only happen once in our lifetime, and I have the opportunity to work in that... and what an opportunity!”

The position Worthington now holds is extremely results-driven; the national team will be judged on its wins and losses, while the EXCEL program, which is the high-performance branch of Canada’s long-term player development model, will be judged on how many players move through the program and its curriculum. But Worthington is grounded is knowing what an honour it is to represent Canada.

“I was speaking with John a while ago, and he told me that he was talking to an older gentlemen – a veteran – and he was told that when you put on that maple leaf badge, there are only two types of people who wear that badge: one, the military/army and those who have sacrificed for us, and the other is athletes, who are there to inspire,” said Worthington. “For me, I may not be an athlete, but I get to contribute, be on the journey, work with some of the most admirable women in sports in Canada.”

Worthington’s journey to his current position is something very similar to the story you would expect from a player rising to the top – starting local dedicating countless hours every day, every week, moving into bigger and more influential roles, but not without some disappointment. When the first opportunity came to work for Soccer Canada, Worthington noted that he didn’t get a position, but he was told that his continued hard work was not unnoticed, that he was on the radar, and his time would come.

“For me, I may not be an athlete, but I get to contribute, be on the journey, work with some of the most admirable women in sports in Canada.”

So he kept working, and when he did get the call, Worthington was more than prepared.

“You see it on TV, ‘the devil is in the details.’ Well John says that the profit is in the details... and it is all about the details – the finer details – that will make your opportunity or not,” said Worthington. “That’s what John demands all the time – maximum work details, maximum work ethic, and you have to perform every day, and be better than yesterday, if you want to be the world's best at what you do.

“That’s my mentality, and he’s surrounded me by people that are willing to do that for a bigger cause, not just for themselves, but for Canada, for the country, for the women in the EXCEL program and the hundreds of thousands of women playing soccer.”

Daniel Worthington and Jessie Fleming. (Soccer Canada)

Getting his Canadian soccer start in Atlantic Canada, Worthington knows the passion this region has for soccer, and being involved in the bid process to be a Canadian host site for the upcoming Women’s World Cup, he knows the hard work and effort that Moncton put in to making this possible. While the economic impact and global exposure will unquestionably be valuable, it is the long-term effect on our sport’s development that has Worthington even more excited.

“Think about a young girl traveling to the games, watching the level of play and realizing ‘I’m pretty good at soccer, too.’ She gets inspired to put in the hard work, and if they ask ‘how can I use my talent to push myself forward, to get an education and become a better person, and ultimately become the best person I can be,’” says Worthington. “We’re going to get more spin-offs in that matter and our sport – and our region – will be the better for it.”

With all the potential impacts on our region, and all the pressure on Canada to perform – both on and off the field – Worthington still keeps in mind that we have to savour the moment, where we are all part of something truly special.

“We’re gearing towards the World Cup, that is the biggest event in women’s sport in the world... and it’s going to happen here in Canada, and it will likely only happen once in our lifetime, and I have the opportunity to work in that... and what an opportunity!”